The United States Postal Service currently handles large volumes of normal mail i.e., first class mail, second class mail and third class mail. However, when it comes to specialty mail i.e., priority mail, certified mail and registered mail, the United States Postal Service does not have automation capabilities for fast handling of specialty mail. Newer printing technologies like bit map generated indicia are emerging. However, bit map generated indicia has not heretofore been used to improve the handling and sorting of specialty mail. Luminescent inks are currently being used for printing indicia on all normal metered mail, both bit map generated (digital) and traditional impact printing. The luminescence helps machines face the mail. Additionally luminescence may be used for security purposes.
Security is needed for documents that are issued by governments, financial institutions, brokerage houses, postal metering printing and the like. One scheme that has been proposed for providing security is to print authenticating text in invisible or luminescent ink so that the same does not interfere with the document upon which such text is printed, but one, nevertheless, is able to determine the authenticity of the document and the holder of the document as well.
Typically luminescence will become visible to the naked eye when stimulated or excited by suitable radiation. Fluorescent inks and phosphorescent inks are types of luminescent inks. The emission of light from a fluorescent ink is caused by the absorption of energy (light or electromagnetic radiation) into the inks molecule that causes an excited state to emit or be fluorescent and ceases abruptly when the energy source is removed. The emission of light from a phosphorescent ink will persist for a time interval even after the energy source has been removed.
The United States Postal Service is currently selling stamps that have to been printed with a phosphorescent ink and accepting postal indicia that have been printed by a postage meter that uses fluorescent inks. Current fluorescent inks that are used in postage meters approved by the United States Postal Service contain a fluorescent ink that is excited by a 254 nm ultra violet light source that emits a fluorescent light in the orange to red region of the visible spectrum between 580 to 650 nm. Facer Cancellers are being used to cancel stamps that have been affixed to mail pieces and check whether or not the postal indicia are affixed to mail pieces.
A facer canceller is a device for handling, authenticating and sorting randomly oriented letter mail. Facer cancellers check the top and bottom front and back of a mail piece to cancel the stamps thereon and determine if a postal indicia is present. Facer cancellers can also identify a Face Identification Marks (FIM) for pre-addressed, bar coded mail pieces. Facer cancellers have light emitters and detectors that check postal meter indicia for fluorescence and postage stamps for phosphorescence. If a stamp is detected the facer canceller cancels the stamp. There is no need to cancel the detected postal indicia. Current facer cancellers owned by the United States Postal Service are capable of processing approximately 36,000 mail pieces per hour. An example of a facer canceller currently used by the United States Postal Service is the Advance Facer Cancelling System manufactured by Electricom AEG.
Currently luminescence is only being used for facing mail pieces or detecting stamps vs indicia for further processing.
The United States Postal Service uses Postal Validation Imprinting (PVI). In PVI, a red fluorescent band is pre-printed along the top edge of a thermal tape for the purpose mentioned above. An actual postal value is printed with a UPC type of bar code at the time of application. The United States Postal Service is the only authorized user of PVI, since PVI in essence are blank stamps that require a high degree of security.
Face Identification Marks hereinafter referred to as FIM are a type of bar code that is printed on mail pieces that may be read by facer cancellers owned by the United States Postal Service. FIM is a type of pre-printed bar code that is printed on the mail piece next to the indicia at a specific location in a specific format. The specific location is defined by the United States Postal Service by very close tolerances, which is currently accomplished only by pre-printing.
Bit map generated indicia as mentioned above may contain postal meter security information and additional security features like control information i.e., encryption information.
Reference may be had to the following patents for further information concerning the state of the prior art.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,718 issued Feb. 16, 1988 entitled "Postage And Mailing Information Applying System" to Sansone et al. there is disclosed a postage and mailing information system wherein an encrypted message based upon postage and mail address information is created.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,381, issued Aug. 14, 1990 entitled "Electronic Indicia In Bit-Mapped Form" to Jose Pastor there is disclosed an item bearing bit-mapped indicia with information encrypted by a public key which verifies a status of the item and a method and apparatus for applying such indicia.